


Fanboy

by ScarletPhoenix



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Captain America Merch, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-01
Updated: 2014-06-01
Packaged: 2018-01-27 21:27:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,152
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1723100
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScarletPhoenix/pseuds/ScarletPhoenix
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bucky discovers Captain America merch.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fanboy

**Author's Note:**

> My first contribution to the Marvel fandom!

It had been almost a year since the fall of SHIELD, and nine months since Steve had tracked down Bucky. Steve had rented an apartment in Brooklyn under some alias that Natasha cooked up for him, and they’d been there ever since. Steve had purposely kept his contact with the other Avengers limited, which was difficult considering most of them either lived in the area or frequently visited. He appreciated Steve’s efforts though. Bucky wasn’t sure if he was ready to handle all of them just yet.

 

He could deal with Sam, because the man was a good friend to Steve and Bucky had quickly found he was pretty easy to talk to. Most of the time it was Bucky that invited Natasha to their apartment. He’d met Hawkeye and a younger woman - Who was Hawkeye too? He hadn’t even bothered asking why there were two Hawkeyes. - one day when he and Steve had gone out for a run, because apparently Hawkeye lived in Brooklyn too, but that was his extent of interactions with the Avengers.

 

So, things were pretty good. Bucky still struggled with memories, many of them still like watching a movie with a pillow case over his head, and he still got lost in himself, but he was more Bucky Barnes and less Winter Soldier these days. In the recent weeks he’d even gotten confident enough to go out without Steve.

 

There’s a little store down the block from he and Steve’s apartment, but it doesn’t carry the yogurt that Steve loves and the tea that Bucky likes, so when they run out they have to go to the bigger store, which they both hate. Today, Bucky ran out of his stock of tea, and it was one of the few days were Steve was off with the other Avengers doing whatever it is they do when there isn’t a worldwide disaster, so Bucky had to go and get some himself.

So here he was, standing in the _Express Lane: 15 Items or less_. behind a man who had apparently not read the sign because there were at least 60 items in his cart. Bucky casts a look towards the contraptions labeled _Self Checkout,_ but the last time he’d gone grocery shopping, he and Steve had actually broken one of the machines. He still wasn’t sure how they’d done that. He sighed and turned his eyes towards the shelves that lined the lane, reading headlines about celebrities he’d never heard of. That’s when he saw them, hanging by the magazines: Avengers Keychains.

 

It taken him all of half a second to grab the Captain America one, and put it down with his tea when it was his turn. The cashier gives him a friendly smile. “A Captain America fan?” she asks.

 

“You could say that.”

***

“Bucky?” Steve asks tentatively, walking into the living room. “What’s this?” He holds up Bucky’s house keys, which had previously been hanging on the hook by the door with Steve’s.

 

“Those would be my keys,” he says simply, before looking back down at the worn copy of _Harry Potter_ that Sam had lent them. He doesn’t even have to look up to know that Steve is rolling his eyes.

 

“I meant this,” Bucky peeks up again, and quickly ducks his head behind the book to hide his smile. Steve is holding up the little Cap keychain, looking absolutely mortified.

 

“That would be my keychain,” he manages to say without laughing. “Don’t you like it?” Steve gives an exasperated sigh and was about to say something. “Don’t you have to meet Natasha in Little Ukraine?”

***

Sam is an enabler - that’s what Steve angrily calls him later when he finds out that he’d taught Bucky about online shopping.

 

“You want Captain America merchandise?” Sam asks with a raised eyebrow when Bucky comes to him with the request.

 

“Yes.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Because it’s funny to watch his reactions,” Bucky shrugs. Sam is quiet for a moment, thinking over the ex-assassin’s words, before chuckling.

 

“Bet Steve hates Cap merch?” Bucky nods. “I’ll show you how to buy all the Captain America stuff you want, man.” Sam gets up, and gently claps him on his (human) shoulder as he walks past him and into the living room, where he and Steve’s laptop pretty much permanently lives.

 

Needless to say, Bucky has a field day.

***

Steve walks into the living the morning after Bucky’s first package arrives and stares at Bucky for several long moments, still mostly asleep brain trying to process the image in front of him.

 

“That mug has my face on it,” he says after a moment.

 

“Very observant, Stevie. Maybe Nat will make a spy out of you yet,” Bucky comments, slowly bringing the mug to his lips and sipping his coffee. It was far from the most outrageous mug he could have bought. It was simply white, with an image of Captain America proudly saluting from the old comics on one side, and CAPTAIN AMERICA is bold red white and blue striped letters on the other. There had been others that took the whole stars and stripes to eyesore levels, or with kind of ridiculous picture of Steve on them.

 

“Why?” Steve asks.

 

“Because I like it,” Bucky shrugs. “You gonna make breakfast or not?” Steve sighs and goes into kitchen to start breakfast. Bucky sits there quietly, waiting.

 

“James Barnes,” Steve exclaims, storming into the living room with a black bundle of cloth clutched in his hand. “What is this?” He holds the apron up to his chest, revealing the image of Captain America from his knees to his clavicle. Bucky can hardly breath, doubled over so far his head is almost touching the coffee table as he laughs.

***

Bucky steps out on the balcony to smoke, though its more out of habit than necessity nowadays. The cigarettes will do more harm to him than they will Steve since the serum. Though, on days like this, it’s nice. Its a pleasant 70 degrees, the sun is out and the sky is clear. Bucky could hear the neighborhood kids playing down below them. Steve joins him outside on days like this, scribbling away in his sketchpad as Bucky smokes.

 

Bucky holds the cigarette between his lips as he digs through his pockets for his lighter. Steve curses as soon as he pulls it out. “Where in the name of all things holy did you find a Captain America lighter?”

 

“Internet.” Bucky answers with a shrug. “Works great.” He adds, rolling his finger over the ignitor and holding it to the end of his cigarette.

***

The next day, Steve comes home with a small little teddy bear called a _Bucky Bear_. Bucky stares at it for a long moment, before laughing.

 

“You gonna replace me with a teddy bear, Stevie?”

 

It’s funny until he comes to bed that night to find the Bucky Bear in his spot.


End file.
